@Home With: Every picture (and object) tells a story in this country home

A Storied Home

By Larissa Lytwyn/Life@Home

Every home tells a story, and James Brookens’ rustic abode, tucked into the heart of Rensselaerville, is no exception. What makes the interior designer’s 19th century home stand out, however, is not the story of the house itself. Instead, Brookens’ story is comprised of others’ voices. Virtually every piece — a photograph here, a painting or object there — reveals the life of someone who helped shape the life of its owner.

In the dining room, for instance, Brookens points to a photograph of a friend who hated having his picture taken. “Finally, I said, ‘Close your eyes,’ and he did,” Brookens chuckles. “And you can see his features so well here — his high cheekbones, his lips. The photograph truly captures him.”

In addition to the artful combination of photographs and prints covering the walls, the dining room cabinet is chock-full of antique porcelain. Prior to being a designer, Brookens was an antiques dealer. His love of décor evolved into a full-fledged business in 2001. His key philosophy is that people should be themselves, rather than attempt to fit a mold of what design “should” be.”

Brookens selected antiques based on what appealed to him; his design aesthetic is much the same way. A favorite piece, for instance, is the Gothic-style chandelier hanging over the dining room table, adorned with thick white candles. “It’s an amazing thing to witness the candles lit at night,” he says. “I’m all about lighting, the ambiance.”

Stepping into the bump-out, country-style kitchen, the eye is immediately drawn to the dark wood table adorned with fresh apples, bread and a vintage mortar and pestle he bought from a late friend. “It’s excellent for grinding up herbs,” Brookens says. “As for keeping the house in the style of when it was built — the early 19th century — I think more about the owners who have come and gone over the years. It wasn’t just the original owners, but the people who lived here during World War II, during the ‘60s … I try to keep that in mind.”

A rare modern touch is the bookcase in the living room, stocked with tomes on art, literature and history — all of Brookens’ passions. “I believe everyone should have their ‘givens,’ even something that is sentimental, that they might not think should be designed around,” he says. “But that’s the point. It’s about you and your story.” Brookens’ “givens” includes the bookshelf, as well as the myriad photographs and art throughout the home.

Brookens is an unabashed quirk enthusiast. One of his favorite pieces is the blowfish lamp created by Marc Tauss, an artist, photographer and friend. “It’s more for show than use,” Brookens says. He flips it on, casting the room in a warm, opaque yellow light.

Brookens credits his receptiveness to the unusual with a print of a dead canary he saw while growing up in Washington, D.C. “I realized there could be beauty in virtually anything,” he says. Today, one of his most treasured prints is — you guessed it — a deceased bird produced by another artist friend, Peter McCarty.

Brookens is hardly the macabre type, however. Genial and enthusiastic, he points out the array of party invitations, art openings and post cards he used to form a sweeping decollage in the downstairs bathroom. “It’s not something you’re staring at for hours, day after day, and it’s a way to create something personal without using paint or wallpaper,” Brookens says.

Next, he bounds eagerly up the stairs. He stenciled the staircase walls himself in sweeping, fleur-de-lis-like patterns. His guest bedrooms are a contrast in design. One is white, almost austere in its Zen-like simplicity. The other, however, is an exotic Moroccan-themed confection, featuring curry-colored walls and a stenciled star pattern on the ceiling. “The thing about guest rooms is that you design them to be an escape for people,” he says. “It’s not something you look at seven days a week.” His own bedroom is simple, featuring cool whites and, in a nod toward the sentimental, a teddy bear he’s had since childhood. Brookens also loves fashioning pieces into the unexpected. His bedside desk, for instance, was a former pulpit.

“Don’t be afraid to use color, do something different, experiment,” Brookens says. He describes his home as a studio for experimentation. Colors and furniture arrangements change frequently. For Brookens, it’s always a work-in-progress, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Everything God has made has a crack in it,” he says. “Embrace imperfection.” It’s that asymmetry, he adds, that makes life interesting.

4 Responses

This is the most exciting article of its kind that I’ve ever seen in my many years of reading about home decoration. It brings making a home beautiful to a whole new level of meaning and possibility. My own home (also in Rensselaerville, a unique historic village) adheres to the same principles: It is “decorated” by my eye and my life and even my spiritual practice; it tells a story at every turn, as does that of James Brookens. As you can imagine, James’s life and personality are as vibrant and rich as the decor of his beautiful home! Thank you for bringing articles of this type to a deeper dimension.

I was just there~! Everything you write about James and his home are spot on. It is an amazing place that transports one not just to an earlier time but into James’ psyche. Thank you for exposing others to this wonderful and talented man and his creation.

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